Pretty Hot: Panasonic Showstopper 30 hour $210 after $100 MIR

[boolerboy]

I'd add one more useful feature to Kwad Guy's ReplayTV list that Tivo currently doesn't have:
1. My ReplayTV - Configure your ReplayTV using a web browser!

 

[alfonsors]

Just ordered mine ...Thanx
model 2000 -30hr

Jenny in Sandiego, CA Service Center Helped me out.

Said they had about 3-4 left and a bunch of 1000
models.

 

[vip52]

Just ordered one from California (Cypress). They have both 1000s ($229) and 2000s ($319).

 

[netmamma]

Thanks for all the positive feedback. I don't run across these deals often and it's really nice to know they helped. Well, I'm off to watch a newly recorded show on my new 27" TV! And thanks to all you guys who have given me such great deals in the past...

 

[Southerncentralrain]

Thanks netmamma. I was able to snag one of these. This was definately a hot deal!!!

 

[lizardboy]

vip52...

are you sure the cypress has the 20 hours for $229 (before the $100 rebate)...if they do i'm going to try & cancel my order for the 30-hour unit & get the 20 hour...

if anyone else is planning to hack the unit & add a 60 or 80GB HD from what i understand there is no advantage to having the 30-hour unit...you might as well save the $90 & apply it towards the price of the HD

anyone else find a lower price on a 20-hour unit before the rebate ??

 

[vip52]

Yes, Cypress has the 1000s for $229. I was kind of surprised myself---but, I did order one on Friday. $229 + tax + ~$15 shipping - $100 MIR = $150.

 

[lizardboy]

cool vip...thanks for the info

that's another $80 or so towards the maxtor 80 GB HD

 

[future]

Called Aurora location to change my order to 20 hour unit
They are charging 289 for it compared to 313 for 30 hour unit, which they should have tomorrow.
What do you guys think?
Should I try calling other service centers to get 20 hour unit at 220?

 

[jaybert]

I got an enormously badass deal on my 20hr replaytb that i purchased from Best buy. It was an open box but it appeared to have never been used. the IR control, remote control, and everything similar was still sealed in the bag and stuff. I paid $199 for it, and that was BEFORE the mail in rebate. After I receive my rebate, I will of paid $99 + tax for the panasonic 20hr. I will put in a 80gb drive soon w/ hte money i saved

 

[overclocked92]

Called San Diego yesterday and they said the 20 hours were $299. I said, I would try other places since Cypress had them for $229. They said that Cypress couldn't be selling them for that because it would be below cost. I called San Diego back today and 20 hours were $229.

 

[victoras]

Can you order a unit from a Service Center that is in a different state from where you are and have them ship it out (or does everything have to be in-state)? Also, are the $229 HS1000's in California new or refurbished units?

 

[RossMAN]

Those of you who are sitting on the fence, unsure if you really need this or how you would use it. Allow me to interject with my own experiences with ReplayTV, please be forewarned I own the ReplayTV 3060 not this Panasonic Showstopper but other than brand names and the Macrovision issues they are identically the same.

1) You want to make an informed decision so please lurk around the ReplayTV forum over at AVSForum.com I just now noticed a ReplayTV vs. Panasonic thread which should be interesting reading.
2) Do a search on a popular search engine such as Google.com for Panasonic Showstopper to find reviews, etc.
3) Read this very informative ReplayTV thread from our own Hot Deals section, this is from back in November 2000 when I saved 36% off using Mercata's 20% off and MSN Passports 20% off. There's a lot of good info in that thread about the ReplayTV units.
4) Will TiVo allow you to program your DVR over the web like you can with My.ReplayTV.com? I didn't think so.
5) Think of the Panasonic Showstopper as a digital VCR on steroids, I see the only drawback is no removable media (VHS tapes). Otherwise people were telling me left and right "Ross you will watch more TV". At first I didn't believe them. The ReplayTV interface is so easy to use yet powerful. For instance I record all episodes of my favorite dramas, sitcoms and movies based on the show title, actors names, themes, etc. My 30 hour ReplayTV would easily reach it's capacity of 30 hours if I let it record for two weeks. I used to watch about 45 minutes of TV per day now that has expanded to about 2 hours per day on average. If you enjoy watching TV but don't have the time nor patience to hunt down a blank VHS tape, find the VCR Plus code then the ReplayTV is for you!
6) It has up to 20x rewind and 20x fast forward, that's super fast! Sometimes if I record a 2 hour segment and want to watch the 2nd hour first I can go at 20x ff and be there within seconds.
7) The TiVo doesn't have the best feature, 30 second skip forward button.

I love my ReplayTV and I'm glad that I didn't FleaBay it off. I hope some of this babbling makes sense and convinces some of you to take the plunge. If you have any questions please ask them here or feel free to e-mail me at rossman@europa.com

 

[TuOni]

good stuff

 

[QDOG]

You can buy one from any Service Center and mail to any state. The ones for $229 are Refurbished but you can get new ones for a bit more. FYI - Colorado actually only charges $10.95 for shipping instead of $15 at the CA ones. Saves you a couple of bucks to call Colorado.

 

[future]

If the ones for 229 are refurbished and we won't get $100 rebate, then it is better to go with 30 hour ones for $319-$100
I'll be picking mine up tomorrow in Aurora

 

[victoras]

Is it everyone's experience that the $229 models are refurbished? If so, how much are the new SH1000 models going for then?

Also, how is Panasonic shipping these things out to those of you who have received them? UPS ground?

And is the "no returns" policy found at every service center?

Thanks so much for everyone's help on this.

 

[jasonja]

Great deal. I got a refurb'd 20hr unit for $229 from the Colorado store. When I orderd the customer service rep told me that I would get a $100 rebate so my final price would be $129. I already own a ReplayTV unit, I bought this for my other TV. Get one people.... these things rock.

 

[RossMAN]

these things rock.

You can say that again, I love my ReplayTV!

 

[victoras]

This deal just made Techbargains so you can probably expect a run on these machines over the next couple of days. . . .

 

[Madjocko]

I just bought a 20 hour unit (pvhs1000) at the San Diego Service Center. It is not a refurbished unit as far as I can tell! The box has never been opened. The customer service person told me the pvhs1000 units were "on sale" for $229 (they were $299 last week). Nothing on the box or receipt indicates a refurbished unit.

Just my two cents!

 

[dealux]

Rossman,
Thanks for your informative message on the earlier page.
My 30 hr showstopper is on its way. I cant wait to get it.
Questions for you:
1. I watch streaming video from my PC routed to the TV (via a remote sender). Can I plug that input (I understand there are two line ins) to record the streamed video in my replaytv? (record a certain duration of time)
2. Did you upgrade your ReplayTV with additional hard disk space? Is it straight forward? (did assemble a PC from the scratch, recently)
3. Is there anyway we can an interface to get the recorded files in the ReplayTV to another PC? ( to burn a VCD/SVCD..)
Thanks,
dealux

 

[Kwad Guy]

I have done the hacks for both Tivo and Replay (Showstopper).
The hacks are straightforward provided the following concepts/
procedures don't sound foreign to you: master/slave drives,
rejumpering hard drives, making a boot floppy, booting into
Linux off a floppy (or, alternatively, running a program
directly under Windows 2000 for the Replay hack), opening a
computer and switching cables/drives around.

If this sounds scary to you, forget doing the hack. You're not
at the appropriate level. If this sounds trivial, you'll find the
hack simple.

The hardest part of either hack is mounting the second drive in the
case. This is not really hard for the Tivo--there's a mounting
platform in the case. All you need to do is figure out how to
secure the drive to the platform (I use plastic ties and some
felt stickies, but you can also buy a grossly overpriced mounting
bracket for $15).

For the Replay/Showstopper, mounting the second drive is more
difficult. That's because there's no second mounting platform
in the unit. You have to think a bit to figure it out. See
links in www.avsforum.com for more details. It's not hard once
you think about it, but you WILL have to think a bit.

Note that the Replay/Showstopper hack does NOT require you to add
a second drive. You can simply replace the single drive in the unit
with a larger drive, if you prefer, and this avoids the issue of
mounting the second drive altogether. Thus, you can take your 20
hour unit, replace the hard drive with a 80Gb drive, and have
an 80 hour unit without having to mount a second drive.

Kwad

 

[dealux]

Kwad guy,
Thanks for your input.
I am planning on adding atleast one more 80 GB later on.
Any pointers on my earler questions #1 and #3?
Thanks,
dealux

 

[db]

Thanks--this is killer.